It's In The Blood
by Spooky-Girl
Summary: Three Boscorelli's...one bar...no one leaves this one unscathed. Based on spoliers for upcoming episodes...so, SPOILER ALERT! Read and review peoples! Co-authored By Anti-Social-Turtle
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: Don't own the gosh darn show, unfortunately.  
  
A/N: This fic was co-authored by Anti-Social-Turtle and Spooky-girl. Enjoy and review!!!  
  
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Bosco sighed into his glass, well into his third beer of the night. He'd stopped by Kitten Disco after work for a quick drink, but soon found himself staring into his glass, thinking more than he wanted to. Fortunately, the drinking was affecting his ability to do so, so it looked like that wouldn't be a problem for much longer.  
  
His lazy finger traveled along the smooth edge of his glass. The small squeak of the liquid as it was pulled over the edge sent a chill down his spine and he jumped to attention, downing the last of that shot.  
  
~ I'm so tired of being here  
  
suppressed by all my childish fears~  
  
He leaned over to an older gentleman. He seemed to be enthralled in whatever ballgame was illuminating the television, "Don't you love it?" He glanced down at his glass, and ordered another.  
  
The man turned to him, eyes slightly glassy, and slurred a reply that Bosco couldn't quite make out. He shrugged it off, not really caring. A little conversation was fine, but he didn't really crave it.   
  
He sighed again, signaling the bartender to give him a refill. The barkeep was a decent man, in his opinion. Never made too much conversation, never tried to ask what was wrong, or how he was feeling. He just kept it flowing, never trying to give him the 'you've had enough' speech.  
  
Bosco finished off yet another drink. By this time he could no longer differentiate the hard burning alcohol from any other beverage; helping it slide down faster. His attention was again drawn away from the shiny empty glass; this time by the chiming bell, signaling a new costumer had entered the bar.   
  
~ And if you have to leave  
  
I wish that you would just leave~  
  
What in case the owner got too zonked out of his mind to see the door open? Bosco thought to himself in a drunken laugh.  
  
The person, gender unknown to the tipsy cop, paused at the entrance, surveying the bar, looking for someone.  
  
She ain't here, man, Bosco thought to himself, no one's ever here.  
  
~ Your presence still lingers here  
  
and it won't leave me alone~  
  
He toyed with his glass, sloshing what little liquid was left against the sides before tossing it down with ease, swallowing the harsh liquid with a satisfied grimace, then looking up to the doorway again. The person was gone this time.  
  
Bosco soon found out where the figure had gone as a hand clamped down on his shoulder.  
  
"Hey! Mike-ey!" he grabbed his hand from off his shoulder and threw it down in utter disgust. He suddenly became lucid enough to make out his brothers face. He gave him a deathly stare and then nodded to the vacant seat beside him.  
  
"Look, I can't stay," Mikey spoke in a jittery fashion before looking over his shoulders, "they're after me. . . your people, you gotta stop them, Mo."  
  
"What're you talkin' 'bout?" Bosco said, still slurring, but his voice turning cold.  
  
"Look," Mikey said, looking over his shoulders again, "I can't really say much."  
  
Bosco glared at his brother, his glazed eyes searching his brother's face, "You usin', Mikey?"  
  
"No, no!" Mikey said, shaking his head, "I'm clean, Mo. I swear. That's kinda what I need to talk to you about."  
  
Bosco gave his brother another look over. His smaller hands were shaking and he tried to compensate for it by fidgeting around. Sweat collected on his forehead and his teeth chattered involuntarily. Tell tale signs of drug use in Bosco's book.  
  
"Don't lie to me Michael!" He absconded his younger brother.  
  
~ These wounds won't seem to heal  
  
this pain is just too real  
  
there's just too much that time cannot erase~  
  
Mikey fidgeted even more; seemingly unable to keep any part of his body still for more than a fraction of a second. He wiped nervously at his forehead, then shook his head again, "No, Mo, really, come on, man, I'm your brother. You gotta trust me. I'm clean!"  
  
Bosco shook his head and spun slightly in his chair to face Mikey, "Like hell you are," he sais smoothly under his breath, "then whose after you? Huh?"  
  
Mikey tried to look at him but his gaze shot straight through him, "You gotta help me. Please, you know her," he lowered his tone, "I don't think she came back right, you know? A little off her rocker?"  
  
It suddenly dawned on him as sirens broke the silent night air, he was talking about his partner.  
  
Mikey's expression turned into one of panic as the siren's drew closer, closer, until it was obvious they were right outside the bar.   
  
~ When you'd cried I'd wipe away all of your tears  
  
when you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears  
  
and I've held your hand through all of these years~  
  
Patrons looked up, wondering what was going on, some ducking out the back way to avoid confrontation that might possibly be meant for them.  
  
Bosco knew his brother would want to do the same, and stood up, blocking his way. "This for you?"  
  
Mikey opened his mouth to reply, but just then the door slammed open, the bell jingling mercilessly, and heads turned.   
  
"Police, nobody move!" Faith Yokas shouted.  
  
~ But you still have all of me~  
  
Bosco's eyes shifted between his brother to Faith. Two totally different parts of his life; parts that he'd struggled to keep separate now fell together.  
  
"What you getting him on?" Bosco paced sideways closer to Faith and put his hand up to signal the lowering of her gun. Sasha looked on at the scene feeling somewhat like an intruder.  
  
"What am I not?" Faith snapped, looking past Bosco. "B&E, pushing, using..."  
  
Bosco looked at his brother, searching him with hard eyes. He wanted desperately to believe his brother, yet nothing in the past gave him a reason to.   
  
Helplessly, he stood there, feeling a drunken fool. It was between his partner, the woman he had trusted with his life more times than he could count. The woman he'd almost gotten killed...  
  
Then there was his brother. He'd taken countless beatings to protect him, some so bad he thought they'd surely be his last. He would do anything to shelter his brother...  
  
So the question it boiled down to was: is blood really thicker than water?  
  
~ You used to captivate me  
  
by your resonating light  
  
but now I'm bound by the life you left behind~  
  
You could cut the tension with a knife, you could judge time by the beating of ones heart. Bosco moved closer to Mikey, still blocking his path and turned his nose up at a bulge in his jacket pocket.   
  
His hand dove into the pocket and retrieved a plastic bag. This bag held at least a dozen smaller envelopes of white powder, "This you stash, or just another customers order?" He asked, all but shoving the bag in Mikey's face, "I thought you claimed to be clean, huh Mikey?"  
  
Mikey shook his head fervently, "No, I'm just...holding it for a guy I know. I'm not using, and I'm not selling!"  
  
"Possession is still illegal," Sasha butted in for the first time.  
  
Bosco sent her a glare, then turned back to his brother, eyes narrowing. "What the hell, Mikey?"  
  
His brother took a step back, not trying to run, just to get away from his brother's anger.   
  
Faith stood there, still holding her gun, but pointing it at the floor. Her expression was asking Bosco 'what do you want me to do?'  
  
By this time Mikey had backed himself into a slightly more narrow hallway in the bar. This hall housed the restrooms, which smelt even more like a Methadone Lab then the bar smelt like a brewery.  
  
A man staggered out of the restroom, instantly spotting Mikey, and a man he had not yet identified. Thought the police went unnoticed.  
  
They dark man spoke, "You got it, right?" His voice was fluid and even, obvious to Bosco that his hits hadn't come few and far between; he showed little signs of withdrawal while Mikey was nearly in full-blown convulsions.   
  
Mikey stumbled back a step, eyes wide. The man followed, staggering closer, reaching out a hand. "You got it!?"  
  
And there, in the light, the man was identified.  
  
"Dad."   
  
~ Your face it haunts my once pleasant dreams  
  
your voice it chased away all the sanity in me~  
  
Bosco spat the word, more a curse than a statement. Faith's eyes traveled from one Boscorelli to the next, unsure, gun coming up to her hips.  
  
"What the-?" Anthony Boscorelli said, suddenly realizing they were not alone.  
  
It only took an instant, but it seemed more like a lifetime. One second they were staring, confused. And in the next, the light flashing off the barrel of a gun seemed to blind them.  
  
~ These wounds won't seem to heal  
  
this pain is just too real  
  
there's just too much that time cannot erase~  
  
"Crap, Dad, what the fuck you doin' with that!?" Mikey sputtered seeing Bosco freeze in his shoes. It seemed everyone was glued to the floor for an instant before Bosco made a move.  
  
He shot his head at his father, disgusted by the figure of the man who stood before him. His hand slowly found its way down to his side and in one foul swoop, he bent his knee, pulled his ankle up to view and drew his off duty gun from it.  
  
"Don't either of you dare move," he eyes didn't move, yet he spoke volumes with them.  
  
"Bos, what the hell are you doing?" Faith moved closer to her real partner and pulled her gun straight out, just as Bosco held his.  
  
"What I should've done along time ago," Bosco seethed. "Dad, drop the gun or I swear to god I'll kill you."  
  
"Think you have the guts?" his Dad asked coldly, his eyes trained directly on his son's. "Think you could really do it, Maurice?"  
  
Bosco wanted to shiver, but fought the chill, not willing to show any weakness.  
  
"I won't let you hurt me again," Bosco said, "There are too many people I care about it this room."  
  
~When you'd cried I'd wipe away all of your tears  
  
when you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears  
  
and I've held your hand through all of these years~  
  
For a moment all that could be heard was the flow of stale breath; but that was instantly shattered when a single bullet was discharged from an unknown gun, landing itself in a harmless bottle of whiskey. All three of the men sprung to attention and came to realize it came from the eldest.  
  
Bosco's free hand immediately reached to knock the gun from his. A war of hands and feet began ending with them on the floor. Bosco held his fathers gunned hand out above their head, while his fathers other hand was wrapped around his older sons neck, "We always end up like this huh?" He forced out.  
  
Bosco's chest heaved; his arms trembled with the effort of holding off his father's attack.  
  
"That's what I'd like to know," he said in a strangled voice.  
  
Anthony grinned insanely and tightened his grip on his son's throat. He cackled softly as Bosco's face grew red. "You wanna know why?"  
  
Bosco nodded his head feebly, craning his neck to see Faith behind him, making all attempt to pulls his father off of him and resolve the problem with out it getting any uglier. His head was the thrown to the right by his fathers menacing grip; his cloudy eyes made out his brothers shaking form.  
  
"Because you're just as rotten as I am, you just hide it under all the blue," he suddenly broke free as Bosco's weakened body caved in on top of the larger man. Bosco's gun flew free of grasp, giving Anthony ample opportunity of which he seized.   
  
"I don't see it here to protect you now," he poked the barrel of the gun into his sons flesh and nodded in Faiths direction. More bullets flew in a fierce battle of good and evil, the outcome blurred for those who took part.  
  
For the second time that night, time stretched. Bosco felt his father's grip slacken, and he quickly collapsed, rolling at the last second, landing hard on his back, next to his father.  
  
Time resumed and Bosco's world began to fade in and out. Faith's pallid face loomed above his shadowed eyes, seemingly circling between expressions of grief and panic.  
  
"Faith, I shot him," he stuttered on the words before he began to choke on them, "damn it hurts…"  
  
"I know." She smoothly held her cold hand to his face and took a calming breath.  
  
~ But you still have all of me~  
  
"I know." She smoothly held her cold hand to his face and took a calming breath.  
  
~ But you still have all of me~  
  
"How is he?" Bosco asked in a raspy voice.  
  
"He's..." Faith spared a look at the older Boscorelli. "Alive."  
  
"Damn," Bosco said, attempting a laugh.   
  
Faith winced as he stiffened, a hand going to his side, where blood poured, soaking his shirt, staining his hands red.   
  
Bosco stared at that hand, knowing that some of the blood was his father's. His entire body ached with that knowledge, and the pain of his wound.   
  
"Faith...is it okay that I'm scared?"  
  
~When you'd cried I'd wipe away all of your tears  
  
when you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears  
  
and I've held your hand through all of these years  
  
but you still have all of me  
  
me, me~  
  
______________________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Okay...so, Spooky, me, is gonna be gone until Friday. So, no updates until then! :( I know, I know, you're heartbroken, right?   
  
Yeah...anyway, no killing my fellow author!!! 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Not ours!  
  
***  
  
Carlos and Levine strode by, wheeling a gurney carrying Anthony Boscorelli. They made haste to get him past Bosco and into the ambulance with out further delay.   
  
As Carlos closed the back doors, he and Kim exchanged a silent conversation. They'd been getting better at that, conveying thoughts without even saying a word.he glanced back at her across the street, a nod of concern for both patients, before getting in the bus and taking off.  
  
Kim and a newer, nameless, man brought Bosco up and into the ambulance. The gingerly set the gurney in place and the new guy went around to the drivers seat.  
  
Faith looked around briefly, Sasha with cuffs firmly placed around Mikey's wrists, Sully, Ty, Lieutenant Swersky, all stood within her sight. She took another deep breath and stepped up into the ambulance.  
  
Inside the ambulance, it was all business. Faith sat to the side, watching as Kim produced a pair of scissors, cutting from the hem of her partner's shirt up to the neck, and pulling the bloodstained material aside.   
  
She sucked in a breath as she saw the damage, quickly averting her eyes. A bullet-hole was not a pretty sight to begin with, but on Bosco...well, that was another thing entirely. Until it was covered with a thick pad of gauze, she looked at the floor, slick with Bosco's blood.  
  
Kim started an IV while Faith watched, her eyes on the needle as it entered the skin, disappearing into his vein. She secured the needle with tape, and reached for some fresh gauze, replacing the soaked ones.  
  
"Hurry it up!" she called to the driver, getting the equipment set up.  
  
Her eye caught Faith's worried gaze as she applied pressure to the wound on Bosco's right side.  
  
Kim looked up and into Faiths worried eyes. She stepped over the gurney and busied herself on Faith side, giving her a reassuring glance whenever she had the time. Faith nodded in thanks and was about to verbalize a question burning in her mind, when she was interrupted by Bosco's next painful shriek.  
  
"ARGGGGH!" his back arched and his eyes swelled shut. Faith searched for a cause of his pain, and as soon as Bosco became still again, she saw it.  
  
The new patch of gauze Kim had placed over his wound had been disturb and was now a brilliant shade of red against his still pallid skin.  
  
"Take it easy on those turns!" Kim yelled to the driver as she redressed the hole in Bosco's side.  
  
Faith took Bosco's hand in hers, clutching it tightly, offering him some sembalance of strength through touch, and turned to Kim. "He's going to make it...isn't he?"  
  
Kim looked up, her hair falling into her eyes, which promised nothing.  
  
She nodded, tightening her grip on Bosco. "He's gonna be okay."  
  
But even as she said it, she wasn't sure. His skin was too pale, bloodless. His eyes were now closed, sunken and ringed in shadows, and his lips were tinged with blue.  
  
Kim appeared with an oxygen mask, settling it securely over his nose and mouth, a worried frown on her face.   
  
"What?" Faith asked. "What is it?"  
  
"Nothing," she lied by omission then turned to the man driving, "how long?"  
  
The man shook his head and looked at a street sign then turned briefly to speak to Kim, "'Bout three minutes out."  
  
Faith cursed and looked down at Bosco, then back up at Kim, "Does he have that long?"  
  
Kim pursed her lips in a straight line, looking down at Bosco, then looking back up with a sigh. "Honestly?"  
  
Faith nodded, "Tell me."  
  
"I don't know," Kim said, but not with hope.  
  
Faith looked back down to her partner. "Hang on Bosco..."  
  
Her grasp on Bosco hand tightened, and to her surprise, it was reciprocated. She followed the path of Bosco's arm and looked into his face. His eyes remained closed and his face in general was emotionless. But he was there; she felt it.  
  
***  
  
They arrived at the hospital within minutes and she watched helplessly as Kim and the doctors and nurses rushed him into a room.  
  
Faith insisted she go in, pushing past Proctor as she was sure Bosco had done months before when the situation was reversed.   
  
The doctors and nurses, having ushered the stretcher into a room, quickly pulled the curtain shut, closing her partner off from the rest of the world.  
  
Kim fell back with Faith, watching the curtain rustle as movement took place behind it. There was nothing more she could do...  
  
Faith turned around, silently wiping a tear away with the back of her hand; The stain of Bosco's blood still on the front of them. She hoped nobody had noticed, but of course Kim had.  
  
"C'mon, lets get you cleaned up," Kim softly put her hand on Faiths back and guided her to the doctor's lounge.  
  
Faith allowed herself to be lead back to the sink, and Kim turned the water on, sending a warm stream into the basin, then stepping off to another sink to wash her own hands.  
  
Faith reached out, adjusting the water until it was scalding, and only then placed her hands underneath, seeing the red swirl down the drain. A bit of sterilizing soap created a frothy pink sea.  
  
Faith felt sick.  
  
Her best friend was lying in a bed, dying, or maybe already dead, and she could do nothing but wash him away.  
  
Kim walked back over to Faith, and together they walked out of the lounge. Kim spotted an empty seat for Faith and sat down with her. This was going to be a long night.  
  
***  
  
So much time seemed to pass, but in reality it had only been ten minutes.   
  
There were still signs of movement behind the curtain, Faith noted, exhaling deeply, relieved. As long as they were still working, her partner was still alive.  
  
With a sudden thought, she turned to Kim. "What happened to Anthony Boscorelli?"  
  
Kim shook her head. "I don't know...I came in with you, remember?"  
  
Faith nodded. "Right. Sorry."  
  
"We can find out, though," she said, raising her eyebrows to the cop. With a nod from Faith, both women stood and walked over to the nurse's station.  
  
Kim was the only one who could speak. Faith was busy watching the curtain between her and her partner sway. She watched as nurses flew in and out, bring more and more equipment with them, and coming out with more and more blood splattered on their scrubs.  
  
"Faith?" Kim brought her back to attention before continuing. "He's uh…" she started.  
  
"What?" Faith asked anxiously, her mind still on Bosco.  
  
"His dad," Kim explaind, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "He's in critical condition...in surgery right now. They're not sure -"  
  
"Good," Faith cut in. "Let the bastard die."  
  
Kim's eye's widened in shock.  
  
Faith, noticing this, shrugged. "He deserves it. What kind of father could do this to his son?"  
  
Kim could only shake her head, thinking of Jimmy and Joey.  
  
Faith shook her head and went to sit back down. Her head was hung low and Kim could tell she just needed to be alone, needed to sort through her thoughts.  
  
Faith didn't protest as she left, she only looked up again toward Bosco's direction. Maybe if she didn't look away, he wouldn't leave her.  
  
"Faith!" Swersky yelled, coming down the hallway of the ER.  
  
She didn't move.  
  
"Faith, what happened!?" He sat next to her and waited for her to respond.  
  
"He shot him…" her eyes still didn't move. They never left the curtain.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"They shot each other, it was just too fast…" she was in a zone now. Somewhere between denial and fear, and that was never a good mix.  
  
Swersky turned to look at the other police officers who had now arrived. He stood and excused himself to find a more accurate source of answers. He needed to find Michael Boscorelli.  
  
Faith had adopted what was well known as the 'thousand yard stare'. She sat unmoving in the uncomfortable chair, eyes unfocused but staring straight ahead. It was as if she were trying to develop X-Ray vision in order to see behind that damn curtain that held her away from Bosco.  
  
Such a simple thing...a thin sheet of cloth that served as an impenetrable barrier. Even with her power of a policewoman, she could not pass that barrier.   
  
A sharp noise made Faith blink suddenly, eyes coming back into focus. At first it was barely audible to her, but as she shook away the cobwebs, the noise seemed the only thing she could hear. It infiltrated her senses, overwhelming her, and she slowly realized what it was.  
  
The curtain was torn aside, and almost in slow motion, a nurse appeared, hair disheveled, eyes searching frantically.  
  
"We need a crash cart in here NOW!" she screamed, her voice grating on Faith's frayed nerves. "We're losing him!" 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Karly and I don't own Third Watch. *pinky swears*  
  
***  
  
There was no tunnel. There was no light. There was no booming voice guiding him to step into said light, no warmth and comfort. There was no feeling of peace, no dead friends reaching out welcoming hands.  
  
There was only cold, and darkness, and this feeling of being lost, helpless, and utterly alone.  
  
Somewhere, in the darkness, Bosco was alone. He wondered briefly if he had died, if he was in hell, or if there really was no heaven or hell, and he was just left...floating.  
  
The buzz near his ear was the only thing grounding him to this world. Was it a drill? No, too high pinch…Was his radio going off? No…  
  
The buzzing ceased for sort periods of time; only to be replaced in its absence by a dull beep of the same tone. His surrounding again began to ground him; the feeling of blood on his torso, the soft fabric underneath his hands, the cold hands found variously on his body.  
  
He couldn't help but feel a strong sense of violation come over him. That was followed by relief, sweet drug induced relief.  
  
Deep-set panic began to surface, bubbling up into a wave that threatened not only to wash over him, but to wash him away entirely. And then...  
  
The annoying beeping became a comfort...a comfort of the past, as it began to sound shrilly, realizing his worst fears. He was trapped, and he was dying.  
  
Something inside him thought it would be more grandiose. Death. The end. The final moment should have been furious, should've been full of a fight, like he was, himself. Only, not anymore, he supposed. Because now, he was dying.  
  
The gentle tug, the sensation of drifting away began to overcome him. It was almost undetectable, but he knew.  
  
"No, oh god, no!" a voice so familiar, so quite, so close, broke his fleeting veneer. Faith…Why was she here? Well, before he could answer that he'd determined here was indeed a hospital. A place where for every birth, it seemed so many others perished.  
  
He'd always chalked it up to the job. Not so many people died. It was just that he was always there to see it. He had found himself wondering if they knew they didn't have a chance in hell, or if it hurt, but he'd never really yearned for an answer until now.  
  
Now when the emotional pain towered greatly over the physical, now when all he needed to say was "I'm sorry." He'd never get a chance…  
  
There were so many things he would never get to do. Never tell his Ma he was sorry. Never be able to make sure his brother had gotten out of it okay, that he cleaned up and got on with life. He'd never be able to kick his father's ass for this one. SO many things he was going to miss.  
  
Bosco wanted to fight. He wanted to kick, to scream, to struggle with every last ounce of strength in his body. Except, his body was lying lifeless on a cold steel table, with strangers hovering over him, trying to save his pathetic life.  
  
He couldn't go out like this. Wouldn't. However, refusing to die, and actually living were two different things, and he had no idea how to get himself out of this one.  
  
And so, slowly, what was left of his world began to fade...and was gone.  
  
***  
  
The tall man clad in scrubs was in no hurry as he made his way down the hall to the doctor's lounge. A worried woman sat there, but yet he had no haste, no urgency to inform her of her partner's condition.   
  
He pushed the door open, stepped inside, and let it swing behind him. The woman inside sprang to attention, but the tall doctor put his hand up to silence her. She closed her mouth expectantly and waited for him to speak.  
  
"You're Mr. Boscorelli's partner, correct?" he said. He had the dress of a nurse, but the manner of a doctor.  
  
"Yes," Faith nodded, shaking.  
  
The doctor took a deep breath and began to speak in a professional tone, "Officer Boscorelli sustained severe damage. I won't go into too great detail right now, but it's suffice to say that this wasn't a simple flesh wound. We had some difficulties..."  
  
Faith felt her knees go weak, and found Kim at her side, supporting her.  
  
"He coded...he was clinically dead for over a minute," the doctor said, eliciting gasps from the two women. "We managed to get him back, but he's still far from stable. We're going to keep him in CCU overnight, and if he makes it though the night...well, we'll deal with the repercussions then."  
  
"If…?" Faith's voice shook. The prospect of him not surviving was too hard to handle. she'd often had thoughts about one or both of them losing their lives on the job, it was part of being the job. God knew, they were both the job. But nothing had prepared her for actually experiencing it.  
  
"We're not sure of anything right now, it's just too soon."  
  
She nodded and sat down again, then snapped back to attention, "What about his father?"  
  
The man looked at her before the last name final clicked, "Uh, he's stable and out of surgery," he admitted hesitantly. Before he had a chance to stop her, she had already bolted out of the door and was making her way to the elevators.  
  
Kim's eyes went wide and she ran after her friend. "Wait a second!"  
  
But Faith was gone. Anger fueled her, pushed her in a way she never thought she could imagine, let alone feel. It was hatred. Pure hatred.  
  
She didn't know where Anthony Boscorelli was, but she was going to find out. And when she did...he'd better pray he was too doped up to feel what she was going to do to him.  
  
Kim walked briskly down the halls, trying to catch up with Faith. She passed by Ty and waved him on to follow her. they made it too the elevator, and Kim took them to the third floor, since she actually knew where she was going.  
  
She and Ty found Faith staggering aimlessly around the nurse's station on that floor. Her search was slow but frantic for anyone who would give her any vital information.  
  
Ty approached her side and stepped in front of her, "Faith…Faith! What…what are you doing?"  
  
"My partner is on his death bed because his bastard of a father shot him, I'm a cop, I'm going to make him pay for it!"  
  
"Faith, he's not going anywhere…either of them…you need to slow down!" Ty desperately tried to relax his fellow friend.  
  
Faith stopped in her tracks, breathing heavily, enraged. She knew, however, that this wasn't going to do her, or Bosco any good. That, and that alone, made her stop.  
  
Kim and Ty shared a relieved look.  
  
"Why don't we go get you some coffee?" Kim suggested softly, trying to calm her down further. "Or...tea."  
  
Faith turned around, giving her a look that plainly said, 'are you crazy?'  
  
"You're starting to sound like that new hippie you hired…" she tried to choose her words carefully, but it didn't work. She found herself insult a woman she didn't even know by name. "Ergg! Never mind!"  
  
She walked further down the hall and almost threw herself in the Ladies Room. Ty couldn't and wouldn't follow her, but she knew Kim might. Her fingers furiously locked the door and she let her body slide down against it.   
  
Her eyes were masked by a cloud of unshed tears and her heart literally ached for Bosco. She could only hope his didn't…  
  
The bathroom was still, silent, and sterile. The floor was a cool white linoleum, and the walls were a soft peach color. The air smelled of cleaning agents, but not overpoweringly so. Oddly, Faith felt safe here.  
  
Back against the door, sucking in deep breaths, she finally let the tears cry.  
  
On the other side of the door, one hand posed to knock, Kim hesitated, hearing the muffled sobs from within. Weakly, she let her hand fall to the door, barely making a noise, and rested her forehead against the cool surface.   
  
She knew now that they could do little more than hope and pray. And even then...  
  
She glanced over at Ty, her late best friends' ex-boyfriend, what a mouthful. He was speaking with a shorter man, this one, presumably Anthony Boscorelli's doctor. She watched him from the wall near the bathroom, he nodded to the doctor, watched as he walked away, then made is way over to Kim.  
  
"All they can tell us is, 'They're hopeful', considering that Bosco…" he trailed off and Kim put her finger too her lips and towed Ty by the arm, away from the thin door of the bathroom, "…that Bosco is his only family member we know the whereabouts of…it's gunna be hard to get more info then that."  
  
Kim nodded. "Well, that's more than I hoped for. I don't know if we should mention this to Faith..."  
  
Ty nodded his agreement. "Yeah. Maybe not just yet."  
  
Both cast their gazes to the Ladies Room door.  
  
"I'm going to talk to Swersky," Ty said. "See about getting a guard posted at Boscorelli's door."  
  
"You think Faith might actually try to...?" Kim asked, not willing to say it.  
  
Ty shook his head, unsure. "All I know is, Bosco may have a lot of enemies, but he's a cop...he's got friends who might."  
  
"His own father," Kim shook her head, talking more to herself then to Ty.   
  
Back inside the bathroom, Faith was regaining her composure. The cold water ran smoothly over her recently washed hands, then she brought them up and wiped her face. Then, pulling a paper towel down and drying her face, she gave herself a good hard look.  
  
To her own self, she looked like death warmed over. She almost felt like it too.   
  
Things between her and her partner had been teetering between slowly falling apart, and slowly coming back together. She'd hoped they would fix themselves before the need to arose, but she found herself regretting every rude, or harsh, or senseless thing she'd ever said to him.  
  
Remembering the sound of the heart monitor flat lining, Faith cringed. That may have been the worst sound ever to meet her ears. The fear that had surged through her then, still lingered in her veins, icily flowing, chilling her through.  
  
Unconsciously, she shivered, wrapping her arms around herself, and staring into the mirror.   
  
The possibility that Bosco might die was haunting her, and she had to acknowledge it, no matter how hard she wanted to deny it.   
  
And...if he did. What then?  
  
"What then?" she asked aloud, barely whispering, searching her reflection for an answer.  
  
Her dark eyes blinked away a tear and she turned away, wiping the last tears from her cheek. She unlocked the door and took a deep breath, then turned the knob and pushed it open.  
  
"Kim…" she leaned out the door, beckoning the woman to come. Kim sighed and joined her at her side near the bathroom door.  
  
"I need to see him," Faith whispered, almost shaking.  
  
Kim bit the inside of her lip, thinking. "You know it's against the rules."  
  
"I don't give a damn about the rules," Faith said, eyes flashing. "I need to see him!"  
  
The intensity in her voice was the selling point. Kim nodded and motioned to her. "I don't know how we're going to do this."  
  
Faith followed her, letting the door swing shut. "I don't care. Anything it takes..."  
  
Kim guided Faith along the hallways. Glancing at the names on the files nonchalantly…James Petrol, Kelly Hughes, Michelle Douglas, Tom Blaney…Maurice Boscorelli…she stopped.  
  
"C'mon," Kim waved her hand for Faith, and pointed into Bosco's room.  
  
Both women were silent for a moment. Taking in his appearance, the room, the noise, and lack there of. The silence was broken soon, Faith's feeble sigh that seemed to mask a sob. She nodded to herself and pushed the door open.  
  
She pulled yet another uncomfortable plastic chair up to his bed, "Hey Bos…" 


End file.
